Indiana football’s coming matchup against USC this Saturday at home was already going to be huge. Now, its postseason stakes probably depend on it.
The Hoosiers’ inital ranking at No. 4 in last week’s first set of College Football Playoff rankings, at first glance, gave them some breathing room. The subsequent plummet all the way down to No. 9 despite coming off of a bye week means that’s absolutely no longer the case.
An 11-1, or even an 11-2 Indiana with a Big Ten Championship Game appearance gets
into the field. A 10-2 Indiana? Perhaps not. The Hoosiers’ matchup with the Trojans, the lone ranked team left on the schedule, could push Indiana up the rankings while setting up favorable circumstances with Washington and Purdue as the two remaining opponents left on the schedule. It could also all but sink Indiana’s odds at another playoff appearance.
Here’s what else to know about the Hoosiers today:
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ICYMI on The Crimson Quarry
- College Football Playoff rankings: Indiana plummets to No. 9 in latest poll
- Do the College Football Playoff rankings deserve to be taken seriously? Probably not
- 5 teams Indiana football should schedule as future non-conference opponents
- Former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza to start for Las Vegas Raiders
- Indiana men’s basketball, Darian DeVries and The Big learning curve
- All the stats, news and analysis from Indiana’s 83-80 win over Syracuse
What they’re saying about the Hoosiers
- USA Today: Indiana got put on notice by CFP rankings, and Hoosiers can’t cry about it
- The Indianapolis Star: UCLA a winner, Indiana in the spotlight in this week’s Big Ten power rankings
- The Herald-Times: CFP committee explains Indiana football’s significant rankings drop
- The Indianapolis Star: Scrutinized Syracuse-Indiana basketball attendance shows college sports misses most valuable point
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